Thursday, September 28, 2006

Moved Again, And More Fascist Tyranny.

But, once again, we're back to our regular irregular schedule - now that Internet access is restored and all is right with the world. At least, all is right that can be under a corporatist, proto-fascist Republican administration.

Yes, I'm still calling it fascism. Yesterday, the House Republicans and some fascist-wannabe House Democrats passed what can only be called tyranny.

Thank you, Rubber Stamp McCain. By the way, how's the arm?

The Washington Post editorial linked above tries to cover McCain's ass even as it points out the frightening implications of this bill:

Foremost among these is the legislation's attempt to prevent U.S. courts from ruling on the treatment of prisoners in the future, including any procedures the Bush administration might adopt for interrogations. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) fought for language in the bill that he believes would stop practices such as simulated drowning, prolonged sleep deprivation and induced hypothermia, but many lawyers believe the administration could interpret the law to permit such abuse. Normally the courts would provide a check on administration policies, but the bill would prevent this by banning prisoners from bringing lawsuits over their detention and treatment. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has promised an amendment to restore judicial oversight. Without it, the Bush administration's abuse of detainees is likely to continue.

A second major problem with the bill is its definition of who could be regarded as an enemy combatant and thus be subject to the exceptional detention and trial procedures. Another hasty agreement over the weekend would allow foreign civilians in the United States or even U.S. citizens to be arrested and held without charge indefinitely on grounds that they "supported hostilities against the United States." This goes far beyond current case law, which reserves unlawful-combatant status for detainees engaged in an armed conflict against the United States or its allies. Endorsement of this standard by Congress would give extraordinary power to the Defense Department to arrest and hold foreigners and Americans without charge, and it would set a dangerous precedent for other nations. It's not hard to imagine civilian American aid workers being arrested by foreign governments as "enemy combatants" for helping people deemed to be terrorists.


Emphasis mine. It's not hard to imagine, with Chimpy McHorsefucker's "yer with us or yer agin' us" rhetoric, civilian American dissidents being arrested by the Department of Defense and waterboarded into confessing ties to al-Qaida.

This travesty is still being debated in the Senate. If you're against torture - as any civilized human being should be - then Amnesty International will put you through to a United Sates Senator if you call 1 800 AMNESTY. If you're not an American, call and share your concern anyway - this horrible, vile legislation applies to you, too.

No comments: